London 11 Feb, 2017: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) UK Chapter marked the 33rd martydom anniversary of Maqbool Butt Shaheed with a huge protest outside Indian High Commission in London.

Defying the subzero temperatures, party members as well as members of Kashmiri community flocked from all over the UK to protest against the brutalities of India in Jammu Kashmir and to demand India to handover the remains of Maqbool Butt, whose extra judicial killing at the hands of India in 1984 has proved to be the ignition for one of the longest freedom movements in the recent history. The location of protest has become synonymous with protest site for Kashmiris as well as Indian minorities suffering from Indian state sponsored terrorism, and today's protest was one of the largest at the site since the dark day in 1984.

Protesters chanted slogans denouncing Indian terrorism and oppression in Jammu Kashmir and vowed to continue fighting for freedom and raising their voices against foreign occupation of Jammu Kashmir at every platform. Jammu Kashmir is the most militirized regions in the world, yet occupiers India and Pakistan have failed to breakdown the ever growing unarmed resistance of Kashmiris,and the protests today highlighted the fact that this resistance is growing by the day.

As done at the previous protests, a memorendum was due to be handed to Indian High Comissioner in the UK to demand the return of Maqbool Butt's and Afzal Guru's remains, immediate stoppage to Indian brutalities in Jammu Kashmir and for Kashmiris to be given their unfettered right of self determination. However, the magnitude of the protest and significant presence of media and local audience led to the Indian High Commission refusing to accept the Memorandum . It was yet another instance where the veil came off the fake claims of India of being a democracy.
India does not even have moral courage to face peaceful people of Jammu Kashmir and accept a memorandum.

Speaking to the media, senior JKLF leaders paid rich tribute to Maqbool Butt and urged India to stop killing innocent Kashmiris, as such brutalities are only serving the purpose of strengthening their indigenous freedom movement in Jammu Kashmir and fulfil its promises and human rights obligations by allowing Kashmiris to determine their own political future.

Protesters vowed to continue this national freedom movement started by Maqbool Butt Shaheed until the dream of complete independent Jammu Kashmir is realised.

The protest was one of the series of events organised by JKLF UK Chapter to mark February as 'Month of Maqbool', with another large gathering expected in Bradford on 19th February.

Bradford: On Sunday, 19 Feb: Jammu Kashmir liberation Front (Bradford branch) organised a public event to commemorate 33rd martyrdom anniversary of great kashmiri freedom fighter and founder of the Jammu Kashmir's independence movement Muhammad Maqbool Butt Shaheed.

A large number of people from Bradford, Leeds and from other parts of the UK, including Maqbool Butt's son Shoukat Maqbool Butt, MP Imran Hussain, leader of Bradford council Suzan Hinch Cliff and dozens of local Lord Mayors and councillors participated in this anniversary program to pay tribute to Maqbool Butt Shaheed and his struggle.

During his speech, MP Imran Hussain assured the participants that as member of British Parliament and as a British Kashmiri he will continue to raise Kashmir issue in parliament. He stressed that over a million Kashmiries living in the U.K. should ask their MPs to play their part in the parliament to raise the issue  of Jammu Kashmir and human rights violations in the state. He paid tribute to Maqbool Butt and said Maqbool Butt sacrificed his life for an independent Jammu Kashmir, so option of independent Jammu Kashmir should be included in any future plebiscite.

President JKLF UK Chapter Sabir Gul also addressed to the gathering. He said that Maqbool Butt is our national hero and new generation of Kashmiries are scarifying their lives by following the footsteps of Maqbool Butt. He suggested that we should establish a national revolutionary government in Pakistani held Jammu Kashmir to bring this issue on international forums.

Shoukat Maqbool Butt also spoke to the public and emphasised that we have to strengthen our national freedom movement in order to achieve our ultimate goal of national independence. Maqbool Butt shaheed sacrificed his life for national independence, justice and for the creation of a tolerant society.

General Secretary JKLF UK Zone Syed Tahseen Gillani said that JKLF is the only political party present and active in all divided parts of Jammu Kashmir and It is leading the national freedom movement. He reassured the participants that JKLF will not let anyone divide our country or destroy our nonviolent democratic movement for freedom.

Chief Organiser Abrar Nisar urged the international community to play an active role to resolve the issue of Jammu Kashmir.

Spokesman Shakeel Mirza made it clear that issue of Jammu Kashmir is not a bilateral issue between India or Pakistan but in fact an issue of birth right of 20 million people of Jammu Kashmir.

Leader of Bradford city council Suzan Hinch Cliff, Lord Mayor Abid Hussain Jamati, Councillor Ghazunfer Khaliq, Councillor Muhammad Iqbal, Councillor Javed Akhter, Sajid Nawaz,Amjid Nawaz,Zia Ahmed,JKLF Branch President Muhammad Sodager ,General Secretary Bradford Saghir Ahmed,Sajad Wasti, General Secretary JKLF Luton branch Liaqat Ali Lone,Malik Latif,senior leader JKLF Aslam Mirza and Ahsaan Ansari also addressed to the gathering.

They condemned the recent statement by Indian army chief that peaceful protestors will be treated as militants. They also reminded India ,Pakistan and international community of their promises to resolve Jammu Kashmir issue according to the aspirations of the people of Jammu Kashmir. JKLF UK leadership made it clear that they will continue their struggle until victory.

JKLF UK has announced their next Maqbool Butt Shaheed anniversary program will be held in Stoke on Trent on 26 of February, followed by Bedford on 5th March and Birmingham on 12th March.

London, 30 Jan: JKLF UK Chapter has announced to commemorate month of February as Month of Maqbool Butt Shaheed. In a statement to media outlets, Zonal Spokesperson Shakeel Mirza has said that all JKLF branches in the UK have been instructed to organise programs,seminars and conferences during month of February to mark the 33rd martyrdom anniversary of the founding leader of Kashmiri movement.

The spokesperson stated that on 11th February JKLF UK along with other Uk based Kashmiri organisations will protest outside Indian high commission London to expose and highlight human rights violations in IOK and to demand that  Maqbool Butt,s remains should be handed over to his family.

JKLF UK has announced to double up its diplomatic efforts in order to muster up support from international community for the unfettered right of self determination of people of Jammu Kashmir. The party is also considering taking up the Jammu Kashmir issue with International Court of Justice, human rights organisations and UNO to expose the illegal occupation of Jammu Kashmir, human rights violations on both side of ceasefire line and to remind international institutions of their forgotten promises and commitments to the beleaguered people of Jammu Kashmir.

On behalf of the UK Zone of the party which is leading the diplomatic front of Kashmiri independence movement, the spokesperson warned Pakistan against her illegal and dangerous plan to make Gilgit Baltistan as her 5th province. JKLF has reiterated the dangerous implications that such a move will have, including the damage it will cause to internationally accepted disputed status of Jammu Kashmir issue. The spokesperson added that such illegal integration will provide India an excuse to absorb Ladakh and Jammu as its own provinces, and will further escalate the tensions in the region.

JKLF will not accept any suggestion or design about the division of Jammu Kashmir under any circumstances and will continue to resist any such plans in Jammu Kashmir as well as on international forums. He added that the party demands Pakistani government to restore state subject rule in Gilgit Baltistan region of Jammu Kashmir.

Press Release: London


The Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) UK- chapter today pledged to continue with their international campaign for independence of their homeland Jammu Kashmir , following the  parliamentary debate on the issue in UK Parliament, where a resolution was passed in support of  the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu Kashmir.




In the Parliamentary debate on 19th January, lead by the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, Mr.David Nuttall MP, the efforts of the JKLF and other Kashmiri groups in the UK were recognised and members of parliament paid tribute to British Kashmiris for their commitment and lobbying effort for a peaceful resolution of the Jammu Kashmir issue..



The motion, which was passed unanimously in the parliament chamber stated: "The House notes the escalation in violence and breaches of international human rights on the Indian side of the Ceasefire Line  in Jammu Kashmir; calls on the UK Government to raise the matter at the United Nations; and further calls on the Government to encourage Pakistan and India to commence peace negotiations to establish a long term solution on the future governance of Kashmir based on the right of the Kashmiri people to determine their own future in accordance with the provisions of UN Security Council resolutions”.





The debate on this motion where 29 MPs, ministers and shadow ministers from Labour, Tory and SNP took part, was a culmination of a strenuous mass lobbying campaign carried out by the JKLF and other Kashmiri organisations in 2016 following the uprising in the Kashmir valley where over a hundred civilian protestors were killed and thousands injured and blinded by the use of pellet guns.




British members of parliament paid tribute to those killed and those who have carried on with the campaign for their political rights for over 7 decades and deplored the international apathy and indifference displayed by the UK foreign office.





Debating on the motion, MPs stressed that the people of Jammu Kashmir must be given the same right to take control of their future as the one exercised by the UK in the EU referendum. MPs David Nuttall and Philip Davies said Kashmiris should be afforded the same right to self-determination as was given to the British people in the form of the Brexit vote. Intervening, Mr Davies said: “Surely it is not a question of supporting either the Indian government or the Pakistan government, it’s about supporting the people of Kashmir."



JKLF have been campaigning for the unfettered right to self-determination and independence to be recognised through public protests, parliamentary meetings and international lobbying. The mass lobby campaign in UK and Europe was launched earlier last year at a press conference held at JKLF’s International Secretariat in London and the head of their International Political and Diplomatic Campaigns, Azmat Khan, given a mandated to seek collaboration with other Kashmiri groups and double up joint efforts. Kashmiri leaders met with the UK foreign office official before UK Prime Minister’s visit to India and also asked the Labour Party’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry MP, to take up this issue with the Prime Minister, Teresa May, which was done by a letter to the foreign secretary Boris Johnson next day.





Earlier in the year, a JKLF delegation comprising of Chief Organiser Abrar Nisar, spokesman Shakeel Mirza, and Shafiq Qadri met with the Chairman all parties parliamentary group on Kashmir,  Mr.David Nuttall MP in Bury, and briefed him of the dire situation on Kashmir and the wife of the JKLF chairman Yasin Malik spoke with Mr Nuttall regarding his deteriorating health and illegal detention in occupied Kashmir.




Senior JKLF leaders, including General Secretary Tahsin Gillani, UK Spokesman Shakeel Mirza, Shams Rehman and others attended the annual Scottish National Party d(SNP) conference, where they met with former party leader, Alex Salmond, who promised to support such a motion  in British parliament.




In the recent months JKLF UK branches and office bearers  were instructed by the President Sabir Gul to meet with their local members of Parliament and to apprise them of the need for a change in UK foreign policy on the issue of Kashmir. The UK zonal leadership have  continuously engaged with other political parties and have pledged to double up their efforts to show a unified voice to the world on Kashmir. They have written to the members of parliament for their efforts and expressed gratitude in recognising the Kashmiri voice and pleas for unfettered right of self determination.




The evidence of JKLF UK Zone's diplomatic efforts could be seen and heard today in British parliament ,where British parliamentarians acknowledged that people of Jammu Kashmir seek a peaceful resolution of the  issue and want their country to become a bridge of peace rather than a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Kashmiris firmly believe that a peaceful and equitable solution of the Kashmir issue is the key to a peaceful and prosperous South Asiain sub continent - a sentiment that was reiterated by JKLF patron in chief Late Amaan Ullah Khan on numerous occasions.

Ends.

JKLF UK Zone Department of Publicity and information.

Text of the full debate is available below

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-01-19/debates/5E3E7217-2415-4B94-8748-3D9E6B1E759B/Kashmir


For futher information contact press office: .
www.jklf.co.uk
president @jklf.co.uk

Srinagar, O7 Jan 2017:


Respected chief guest, chairman and other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen……


 Firstly I would like to thank the Young Parliamentarians’ Forum of Pakistan, National Assembly of Pakistan for inviting me to address this august gathering of learned people. Honorable Parliamentarians, Honorable Ambassadors, and respected scholars, I say, Asalamualeikum to all of you.  We all yearn for Salam or peace in the South Asia and in the world. As a member of the oppressed Kashmiri nation and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, I pray for the growth of cordial relations between Pakistan and India, which is a precondition for the resolution of Kashmir Conflict and for a lasting peace in South Asia.

The young and dynamic group of Pakistani Parliamentarians, who are the future nation and State builders of Pakistan, would hopefully share my sentiments regarding the importance of promoting sustained efforts at peace building in South Asia, particularly aimed at improving Pakistan-India relations.The brunt ofPakistan-India border hostilities is borne by Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and naturally the people of both parts of divided Kashmir are the biggest votaries of peace.

Ladies and gentlemen ……

The theme of this International Seminar rightly focusses on the humanitarian dimensions of the Kashmir Conflict, when a peoples uprising in India occupied Kashmir has been brutally suppressed by Indian military and paramilitary forces. The five month long mass uprising was crushed by an unbridled use of force. The Indian Central Police Force admitted to firing some 1.3 million pellets in the first month of the uprising, which has resulted in a plague of dead and damaged eyes. Doctors in Kashmir estimate the total number of eye injuries caused by pellets in the first four months of the uprising to be 1178. Human suffering is impossible to quantify but numbers do tell a story in Kashmir. Around a 100 people have been shot dead by bullets or mowed down by a rain of pellets, around 15000 Kashmiri youth have been  injured ,roughly 10,000 youth have been arrested, most beaten and tortured in detention centers. Neighborhoods have been harassed en masse by Indian police and military forces, who in day and night raids and have administered collective punishment to Kashmiris in the form of destruction of their property, ranging from destruction of window panes, doors, laptops, motorbikes, cars or whatever has comes in the sight of rampaging troops. Parents and elderly relatives of young protestors have been arrested to force young protestors into submission. Democracies like India not only maim and kill but they also indulge in blackmail. They punish the families and relatives of dissidents to force them into silence.

 We have heard a lot about human security from the United Nations. The International Community tells us that the world must move from the outdated conception of state centered national security to a people centered conception of human security. We also hear about the doctrine of R2P, about a State’s responsibility to protect its citizens but we continue to see the limits and repeated failures of liberal humanitarianism the world over. Many powerful western governments have encouraged subjugated peoples like Kashmiris to give up armed struggle and adopt non–violent means in their struggles for freedom. In the past ten years, Kashmiris have primarily relied on non-violent means in articulating their aspirations for Azadi or Independence. However, Indian State has responded with an increasing use of military force to suppress mass uprisings in Kashmir and choked all spaces for non-violent resistance. The people’s uprisings of 2008, 2010 were crushed by massive military force and the story of the 2016 people’s uprising has seen history repeating itself.

   The world largely remains mute to the sufferings of Kashmiris. Diplomats of major Western democracies have even stopped paying lip service to the question of human rights in Kashmir. When some of them visit India occupied Kashmir, they lecture us on the virtues of India’s participatory democracy and about India’s democratic successes. It is like blaming the victim. Democracy, be it in a formal sense or substantive may work for the Hindu middle classes and the elite in India but Kashmiris have since 1947 harvested a bitter fruit of this democracy. This is not to suggest that Kashmir’s movement for Azadi or freedom is not a case of democratic mis-governance or decay of democratic institutions but it is an outcome of a forced incorporation of a people in a country against its will.

   India as a growing market has become the darling of powerful western countries. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has listed India as the number 1 importer of weapons for the years 2010-2014.A major western power, France recently inked an arms deal with India, which is worth 8.8Billion US dollars. In the world of big business and arms deals, where do western powers stand on human rights? Can the oppressed people of Kashmir and other oppressed nationalities expect any solidarity from western democracies like USA, UK, France AND EUROPIAN UNION, which have huge economic stakes in the weapons industry? Can the David of Human rights really triumph over the Goliaths of War industry and big business?

    A poor country like India is spending 40 Billion US Dollars on its military annually. A smaller economy of Pakistan has an annual defense budget of over 8 Billion US dollars. The defense budgets of the two countries continue experiencing a regular increase annually. The primary reason behind this massive spending on arms is the Pakistan-India rivalry over Kashmir, which leads to a huge loss of precious economic resources and limits economic potential of both the countries. Not surprisingly the Human Development Index Rankings of India and Pakistan stand at 130 and 147 respectively.

    A just and lasting solution to the Kashmir conflict, which gives primacy to Kashmiri self-determination, would usher in an enduring and positive peace in South Asia. It would not only put an end to the suffering of Kashmiris but also help unlock the massive economic potential of South Asia, with a population that roughly adds up as one fourth of the world’s total population.



Thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/YasinMalikJKLF/

 Srinagar 09 January 2017: Martyr Sajad Kenoo was one of pioneers of present struggle for freedom, Martyrs like him are our real heroes and their sacrifices for the sacred cause can never be forgotten. This was stated by the chairman of Jammu Kashmir liberation front (JKLF) Muhammad Yasin Malik while addressing a memorial meeting held to recall the sacrifices of martyr Sajad Kenoo.

Terming Sajad Shaheed as a humble person, dedicated warrior, prolific leader and a brilliant human being, Yasin Malik said that he was one of the faces of Kashmiri resistance who till his last breath stood upright for the cause of freedom and sacrificed his life while striving for it.

JKLF chairman said that the sacrifices of heroes like Martyr Sajad Kenoo can never be forgotten and today when we remember his sacrifices and struggle, we pledge to take forward his mission with passion and zeal.

 Meanwhile JKLF has strongly condemned the ongoing oppression on inmates especially those who were booked under PSA that has been quashed by court but who have been re-arrested and put in various police stations in extreme cold season.
While condemning this oppression and illegal detention of these inmates, JKLF said that the families of these inmates are also being harassed by police. While appealing international Red Cross, Amnesty International, Asia watch and other bodies to intervene and save the lives of these inmates, JKLF has said that it is the obligation on these world bodies to save inmates from the wrath of oppressive regimes.